


Interpersonal Chronometry

by XaviaAndromedovna



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Codependency, Episode Related, Episode: s02e06 Epidemiology, Episode: s04e11 Basic Human Anatomy, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Pining, Toxic Masculinity, and more!, featuring many of Trobed's greatest hits such as the kickpuncher sex scene, no beta we die like men, troy pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:35:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25386163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XaviaAndromedovna/pseuds/XaviaAndromedovna
Summary: Five times Troy almost went for it with Abed, and one time he did.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes/Britta Perry
Comments: 18
Kudos: 223





	1. 1: Romantic Expressionism

**Author's Note:**

> Halp I woke up at 7am because this was clawing its way out of my brain and flopped onto the internet still dragging my bleeding emotions behind it I just love my boys so much and want them to be happy IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK anyway here's wonderwall

“Let’s go film the sex scene…”

When they get to Abed’s dorm room, he sets up the camera in such a way that you can’t see the top bunk. It still looks like a bunk bed but he mutters “we’ll fix it in post” and goes over the scene with Troy. Troy considers chickening out for the twelfth time that day. He’s not sure when Abed went from random-guy-in-his-Spanish-class to other-half-and-guy-he-would-willingly-film-a-sex-scene-with, but, well, here they are. Besides, Abed’s playing a girl, that makes it not gay, right?

Granted, the wig isn’t exactly the best for Abed’s bone structure and the outfit could use some fine-tuning, but it’s supposed to give off low-budget vibes and besides this is acting. Abed calls “action,” and Troy lifts him into a bridal carry before walking into frame. “Take me, Kickpuncher,” Abed purrs high in his voice.

“With pleasure,” Troy growls as he drops Abed onto the mattress with a slight bounce. Careful not to bump his head or give away that there’s something to bump his head _on_ , Troy slowly leans over Abed, puts his arm down next to his head, and straddles his best friend. Abed’s gorgeous brown eyes are wide as they wait for Troy to carry out his choreography. Now or never.

Troy lunges down and captures Abed’s lips roughly in his, his first kiss with a man. He forces that tidbit out of his brain and tries to remember all the marks he needs to hit, adjusting his head slightly so the light hits the side of his face correctly. He keeps forgetting that he’s supposed to be in character because he’s a little distracted by the fact that Abed is very good at this. He puts his left hand on Abed’s thigh and slides it up under his skirt. Abed gasps, breaking the kiss and whispering into the ear that’s away from the camera. “Get ready for the flip.” Troy arches up a bit to give Abed room to manoeuvre. Suddenly, Troy’s on his back with Abed on top of him, and he’s reminded just how strong Abed really is. He leers up at him and drags his head down to connect with his, rutting up into him as Abed’s hips grind into his with a graceful rhythm. Because they’re dancing, just dancing, Troy asserts to himself, because that’s the only way he can stop himself from thinking about what exactly he’s doing in his best friend’s bed right now. In front of a camera no less. He’s maybe freaking out a little bit but then Abed’s far hand ends up gripping Troy’s ass and he lets out a groan. When Abed’s lips leave his to kiss at his neck, Troy can’t help but try to get his attention. He needs… “Abed.”

Abed stills immediately. “Cut,” he calls loudly and sits up as himself, rigid and collected like he wasn’t just giving Troy a hickey two seconds ago. Well, maybe not that collected, his pupils are blown and he seems worried. “What’s wrong, is everything okay?”

And in that moment Troy realizes he’s made a horrible, embarrassing mistake. “What? Yeah, umm, I’m fine.”

Abed backs up and sits at the foot of the bed. “Then why’d you say my name? Was there something wrong with the take?”

“No,” Troy assures him, shaking his head clear. “But, umm, I think I might need a break.” Abed is still staring at him, calculating, but with a fidget he’s never seen before.

“Actually, I think we got what we need,” Abed says in his monotone but Troy can sense it’s a controlled calm. “That’s a wrap, thanks for all your help Troy.”

Abed stands and turns off the camera, taking it off the tripod.

“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to—“

“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pressured you into a scene you weren’t comfortable with.”

“You didn’t. It’s just…”

Abed waits for Troy to finish that sentence, taking off his wig. When he doesn’t, Abed says, “Troy, I need you to be very direct with me right now because I know there’s an important social cue here I’m missing but if you let me guess it'll only get more awkward. What’s going on?”

For the sake of their friendship, Troy can never tell Abed what he’s actually thinking in that moment. “It’s really nothing, Abed, I promise.” He sits up and takes off his Kickpuncher facepiece. “I think I just bit off more than I could chew. In the future, we should probably avoid sex scenes, they’re way more difficult than I thought.”

“Cool,” Abed agrees, too quickly. “Cool cool cool cool cool…”

That’s way too many ‘cool’s, but if it ends this conversation then Troy’s more than fine with it. Who knew acting could be so confusing?


	2. 2: Epidemiology

Okay, so maybe a couple’s costume with your best friend isn’t the best way to pick up girls. Even if their fight was epic and his pick-up line was all kinds of smooth. That’s fine, he’ll just do it the old-fashioned way: slutty Dracula. He tries to ignore how hurt Abed is by his decision because tonight isn’t about him, it’s about Troy and scoring with the ladies.

Well, and then the night’s about zombies which is simultaneously awesome and the most terrifying thing he’s ever lived through. Assuming he does actually live through this. But of course Abed wants to talk about it. He never knows when to let things go. Something about Abed always makes him feel like the happiest, coolest person in the room… and then like the type of people he made fun of in high school. He can’t be a nerd, because that means he’s no different from the people he always treated as beneath him. Nerds don’t get girlfriends. Troy is hot, charismatic, popular—and he shouldn’t have to give that up just because when he’s with Abed—

Okay seriously, who is tossing around this fucking cat?!

Before he knows it, Jeff has opened the door and sealed their fate. He and Abed race through what looks to be a lost and found trying to avoid being bitten by zombies and this is not the way he wanted to die okay?? They make it behind the fence and Abed tries to boost him up. “I’m not going without you!” He’s too panicked to think about how high his voice goes as he says that.

“Troy,” Abed says with grave certainty. “Make me proud. Be the first Black man to make it to the end.” He’s right, they can do this. _He_ can do this. He manages to grab onto a pipe and swing through the window. He turns around and offers his hand. Several thoughts occur to him at once:

Abed had no intention of following him out that window.  
Troy’s the only hope the school has to keep everyone from being zombies permanently.  
Abed will likely die.  
He’s been so worried for so long about proving he’s better than him, different from him—almost their entire friendship—when all he really wants is to spend every day with the man he loves.  
He loves Abed.  
He loves him.  


“I love you,” he breathes out.

And Abed, dedicated to his bit to the very end, responds, as Troy knew he would, “I know.”

~~~

No one remembers anything after the mass roofying, but something else definitely went down tonight. Several things. There’s something crucial he’s forgetting, and it has something to do with zombie movies, ABBA, and this weird new feeling he gets in his chest whenever he looks over at Abed. Something like fear, but he’s not afraid of Abed, he’s afraid _for_ him. Like his life was in danger. Like Troy almost lost him. But there’s something else there too, an urgency, a need to, like, hug him or something, and an absolute certainty that Abed is the best thing that ever happened to him.

Or it could be something he ate, he probably had some of the taco meat.


	3. 3: Remedial Chaos Theory

**Timeline 2**

When the last of their guests go home, it’s just Troy and Abed in their apartment. Their apartment, together, where Troy lives with his best friend. As they’re cleaning up from the party late that night, Abed makes a face at him when their eyes meet, and Troy is overtaken by the sudden urge to kiss him. So he does. And then he does it again. And again. And—

Lying in the bottom bunk snuggled up to his… roommate, Troy thinks about how impractical it is for them to have a bunk bed if they’re going to be ‘sleeping together’ instead of just sleeping together. Maybe they should get a full mattress. And they should get a dog. And they should get married. “Do you think we’re moving too fast?”

Abed looks up at him guardedly. “You mean moving in together and sleeping together at the same time?”

"Yeah, does that... are you still okay with...?"

Abed stretches up to kiss him and settles back against Troy’s chest. “We can take this as slow or as fast as you want. I’m not going anywhere.” Troy can’t help the smile that completely takes over his face. He kisses Abed’s forehead and snuggles into him, peacefully drifting off into sleep.

They break up three months later and the War results in Troy crying alone in an empty apartment as Abed shuts the door quietly behind him. They should have factored in the Annie of it all. It really was too much of a good thing too soon.

**Meanwhile in the Brightest Timeline**

As they’re cleaning up from the party late that night, Abed makes a face at him when their eyes meet, and Troy is overtaken by the sudden urge to kiss him. He writes it off as getting caught up in a movie reference and goes back to wiping the table, though from what movie he couldn’t possibly guess.


	4. 4: Basic Human Anatomy

Sometimes when Troy wakes up he just lies there with his eyes closed before officially ‘waking up’ and lets his mind wander in a quasi-dream state. Unfortunately, this morning, instead of being a relaxing way to ease into the day, it means he keeps thinking about how he messed things up with Britta. By some miracle it seems she forgot their one-year too, so he doesn’t feel as bad, but his brain is insistently trying to piece something together that another part of his brain doesn’t want to. How is it he couldn’t remember his anniversary with his girlfriend, but could remember the date of a random event in his relationship with Abed? Well, at least to everyone else it feels random, but as he and Abed had sat there after watching _Freaky Friday_ , talking in Abed’s dorm room for hours about what they’d do in that and many other situations, Troy realized the guy he was laughing with was his best friend. That was the day they promised they’d _always_ be friends. ~~The part of his brain trying to piece things together unhelpfully informs him that in some ways that makes it his anniversary with Abed as well.~~

It’s not that he doesn’t like dating Britta, Britta’s amazing. She’s passionate and cool and supportive. The sex is beyond awesome, and they get along great, and they make sense together. Kinda. Ever since this started, things haven’t been quite the same at the apartment. ~~Actually, things haven’t been the same since the War but he refuses to think about the lowest point in his time at Greendale.~~ On paper, they’re perfect for each other—he knows because Annie has a notebook for that sort of thing. But something’s not clicking, something important. Why isn’t he as invested in this relationship as he should be?

His eyes snap open. Because she isn’t the one he’s in love with.

Something in Troy’s brain crackles and shorts out. Something in _Abed’s_ brain. He sits up and takes in his surroundings. How’d he get in Troy’s room? And who’s sleeping nex—oh. Oh no. Abed lies back down and stays perfectly still, staring at the ceiling, trying and failing to come up with a plan for how to handle _waking up in Troy’s body on his anniversary with Britta_. Britta, who just woke up and is kissing him on the cheek. He gets through that conversation somehow, processing none of it, then he excuses himself to head over to the blanket fort and frantically shake his own sleeping body.

Troy wakes up and immediately believes him, as he knew he would. I mean, look at them, these are clearly not their bodies. Which they of course verify by looking at their new dicks. Y’know, for science. Britta and Annie have left by the time Abed goes into Troy’s room to get dressed, so they get through most of the morning without incident until they get to Study Room F and sit in the wrong chairs. Luckily the group notices immediately so they can drop the act and reveal they’ve switched bodies. That way it’s not weird for Abed’s body to go on Troy’s anniversary date with Britta.

Britta, naturally, thinks that’s very weird so she pulls Abed aside and he has to figure out a way to convince her that they’re not crazy. Conversely, he could just tell her they _are_ crazy and she’ll go into psychologist mode. So that’s how Troy ends up at Señor Kevin’s and Abed ends up looking for the DVD with Jeff in the lost and found. He can tell Jeff’s getting frustrated, so he dismisses him, but just as Jeff’s about to leave Abed keeps talking. Damn his oversharing. “I don’t understand this whole relationship thing, or why Troy would even want to be in one.” Jeff stops. So he keeps going, searching for the DVD he knows is in his backpack while Jeff follows behind him silently. He tells him about Troy’s relationship problems with Britta, how he wants to break up with her. Because he does. He just doesn’t know how. He doesn’t want to think about what it means for him and his friendship with Britta. Or… or his relationship with Abed.

He lets Jeff take him to the restaurant so they can do the body switch back. Then Troy, in his own body, breaks up with Britta the way he should have in the first place.

What people don’t get about him and Abed, what _Troy_ didn’t even fully get until this happened, is that Abed’s not the crazy one that Troy has to take care of; they’re both crazy, and they take care of each other. Well, crazy’s probably not the best word for whatever this is, but the point is that Troy’s just as maladjusted as Abed is, he’s just better at hiding it, at stuffing it into a box and repressing it so deeply that he can survive as a closeted Black man in a conservative town where his only value to people was how well he could throw a football and sure maybe the pressure made him fake an injury, and sure, maybe he needs Abed to break up with people for him sometimes while Troy has a psychotic break, but… where was he going with this?

He looks at Abed, who smiles tiredly back. Things are different now. Because Troy can’t box this up any longer. He’s in love with Abed, like madly, deeply, gayly in love with him. And there’s nothing he can do about it without breaking again.


	5. 5: Geothermal Escapism

“Your entire identity has been consumed by your relationship with another man.”

He makes some half-hearted quip about his Clive Owen Tumblr, which is real, but he knows that’s not what Jeff’s talking about. Everyone at Greendale knows what Jeff’s talking about, and it’s a matter of time before Abed figures it out, if he hasn’t already. Maybe that’s why things have been so awkward between them ever since Troy realized his feelings. Maybe that’s why he’s slowly shrunk deeper and deeper into himself and let himself become content with being Abed’s sidekick again. Maybe that’s why he agrees to go back to Greendale, to figure out what to do next, how to get out of this trap he’s set for himself.

And then Pierce _dies_. Which they knew would happen eventually, and they hadn’t seen him for a while, but still. One of them is dead. The funeral was weird but cool, but what really surprised Troy was the reading of the will. Pierce left Troy a boat. And millions of dollars if he sails it around the world. It’s the chance of a lifetime, to make lots of money, ‘become a man’ or whatever that means, and run far, far away from his feelings for his best friend. If he’s ever going to figure out who he is without Abed, this is the time to do it.

True to form, Abed comes up with the most awesome way to send him off: the Floor is Lava. Except it really is lava for Abed, and Troy’s heart snaps free from its aorta. Abed needs him. Abed literally doesn’t think he can live in a world without Troy. And maybe that’s the problem. Because he almost stays. He almost throws away a life-changing opportunity for someone with whom he’s become so toxically codependent that they’re talking about dying instead of being apart. But, in a moment of true character growth, Abed doesn’t try to make him stay. Abed lets him go. And if he ever wants a chance at a long, healthy relationship with the guy, platonic or otherwise, he has to leave.

And come back, of course. That homing pigeon DNA is redundant because Troy knew as soon as he stepped on that boat that home is wherever Abed ends up next, if he’ll have him.


	6. +1: And a Movie

The only possible explanation is that they’re in a movie. Why else would he be watching the study group frantically tossing their belongings into a life raft one (nautical) mile off the coast of California two years after he left? He pulls up alongside them just as the last of the items is loaded into the inflatable and goes to stand dramatically at the helm. He poses when he feels the sun break through the clouds. “Need a lift?”

He can’t hold the pose long before he’s beaming down at the elated and relieved humans he calls his family (and a couple other people). They shout his name and he can’t help himself. “LeVar, take the helm, we’re taking on passengers,” he commands before diving into the water and swimming towards them. He grabs the line and tows them to his newer and much larger boat, which he got after the Childish Tycoon crashed somewhere around Argentina halfway through the voyage. (It really wasn’t meant for the open ocean anyway.) He tacks the raft and helps each of them onto the boat. Abed debarks last, and when Troy touches his hand, he sees the trope coming from a mile away. He is more than happy to oblige. For once in his life, Troy goes for it. He pulls Abed into him firmly and grabs him around the waist.

Maybe it’s the mood lighting or the score he can hear swelling in his head or how long it’s been since he’s done this or the emotional release or maybe it’s just he forgot how good a kisser Abed is, but this is easily the best kiss he’s had in his life. Abed melts into it immediately, and Troy just stands there making out with his best friend on his boat, ignoring the woops of his friends and the sinking ship behind them. Abed pulls away, breathless. “Are you letting me do a scene or do you mean it?”

“I mean it,” he responds quickly. “I’ve always meant it. That’s part of why I left.”

“But you’re back now?”

He places a hand on Abed’s cheek and smiles at him. “I’m back. Also I love you, should have led with that.”

”Cool,” Abed whispers before joining their mouths again. He can feel Abed repeating “cool” non-stop against his lips. He pulls away abruptly. “Also, I love you too, in case that wasn’t clear.”

Troy pulls him in for a bone-crushing hug then releases him, right hand extended. And as they do their handshake, that piece of him that’s felt off-kilter since he set sail finally settles back into place.

“Guys,” Jeff interrupts. “As adorable and overdue as this is, can we please grab our shit and get out of here?”

Troy shakes his head fondly and starts hauling things out of the life raft. “What are you guys even doing out here??” In the movie, the camera would pan out and the sound would fade on their lively conversation, but movies were always more Abed’s thing. He’s more than happy to stay right here with his family and the love of his life. Forever.


End file.
